Europe at a Crossroads

Updated on August 24, 2010

Infrastructure is the road to improving life in Western Europe

Europe at a crossroads

Europe seems to be in a state of economic flux. With the addition of the countries formerly
part of the Soviet Bloc a whole new economic venue has been opened up, the
question now seems to be how to integrate these countries into Western Europe
not only economically but also in regards to their infrastructure. Currently the European Union has four basic
freedoms that it applies in its goal to create a single market system; the free
movement of goods, services, people, and capital. There are however, several problems that must
be overcome before these ideals will be not only applicable across the
continent but also economical. Once these problems are overcome the European
economy will have a much better chance of succeeding and flourishing.

When the EU was
formed each country had its own transportation infrastructure and its own way
of maintaining it. Now these same countries must find ways to improve roadways
and railways in order to remove bottlenecks and congestion, improve the airline
communication system so that it is homogeneous across the continent, improve
public and mass transportation so people will an incentive to leave their cars
at home thus helping to reduce congestion and pollution, and find a way to pay
for the maintenance of this infrastructure.
The solutions to these problems will reduce the logistic problems many
companies are running into when it comes to getting their products to the
consumer.

Many
solutions are currently being looked at, most could be fairly easily instituted
in Western Europe. The countries that
have been admitted to the EU more recently would require more work as their
transportation infrastructure tends to be farther behind. The most promising solutions involve
streamlining the air traffic control and railway networks between countries,
make moving freight via alternative modes such as railways and short-sea inland
waterways more attractive, charge users of each transport system directly for
the use, and encourage combination traveling and transporting. Some of these solutions are already in
use. An Italian ferry company is able to
haul trucks from Genoa to Barcelona in about twelve hours, which allows these
vehicles to avoid some of the more congested roadways. Air France and Thalys rail company have made
it easier to travel to Paris to catch a flight by allowing their mutual
customers to travel on a Thalys train from Brussels to Paris on the same ticket
as their flight.

Modes of
transportation are not the only issues logistic companies will have to contend
with in Europe, with the opening of the former Soviet Bloc countries there is a
new pool of low wage skilled workers that can be drawn on. Many companies are
starting to set up manufacturing centers in these countries due to the
proximity to their consumers. Because of
this logistic companies will need to start looking at ways to work within the
existing transportation infrastructure and possibly help make it better. In the immediate future logistic companies
will need to be flexible in terms of their commitments, efficient when it comes
to managing their supply chains, and collaborative between departments to
ensure no solution is overlooked.

*Parts of this article are also posted at suite101.com by the same author